Agenda and draft minutes

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Contact: Peter Thompson  Email: constitutional.services@oldham.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

1.

Appointment of Chair

To appoint a Chair of the Traffic Regulation Order Panel for the 2022/23 Municipal Year.

Minutes:

RESOLVED that Councillor S Bashforth be elected as Chair for the Municipal Year 2022/2023.

 

2.

Appointment of Vice Chair

To appoint a Vice-Chair of the Traffic Regulation Order Panel for the 2022/23 Municipal Year.

 

Minutes:

RESOLVED that Councillor C Gloster be elected as Vice-Chair for the Municipal Year 2022/2023.

 

3.

Apologies for absence

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Woodvine.

 

4.

Urgent business

Urgent business, if any, introduced by the Chair.

Minutes:

There were no items of urgent business received.

 

5.

Declarations of Interest

To Receive Declarations of Interest in any Contract or matter to be discussed at the meeting.

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest received.

 

6.

Public Question Time

To receive Questions from the Public, in accordance with the Council’s Constitution.

Minutes:

There were no public questions received.

 

7.

Minutes of Previous Meeting pdf icon PDF 233 KB

The minutes of the meeting held on 17th March 2022 are attached for approval.

Minutes:

Resolved that the minutes of the meeting of the Traffic Regulation Order Panel held on 16th June 2022 be approved as a correct record, subject to the inclusion in minute 6 (S257 Town and Country Planning Act 1990 – Diversion of Definitive Footpath 26 Oldham, Land off Knowls Lane, Oldham, and S53A Wildlife and Countryside Act Modification of the Definitive Map and Statement) of the following wording: In response to questions from the Chair, the Group Solicitor confirmed that if the application for an Order was refused by the Panel a new planning permission would be required, as the planning permission required the provision of steps as the method of diverting the footpath.

 

8.

Representations to Proposed Disabled Persons Parking Places Order – Various Locations pdf icon PDF 3 MB

The purpose of this report is to consider all representations received to the introduction of disabled persons parking places at various locations in the Borough.

Minutes:

The Panel considered a report which sought approval for the proposed disabled parking places at various places in the Borough.

 

The Panel was informed that a report recommending the introduction of 25 disabled persons parking places at various locations in the Borough was approved under delegated powers on 16 December 2021. The proposal was subsequently advertised, and several representations were received.

 

The Council were informed that the applicant at Harper Street had sadly passed away. Therefore, that proposed parking place would be removed from the scheme. The Council were informed that the applicant at South Hill Street had off-street parking. This was verified by inspection. Residents with access to an off-street parking facility did not qualify for a disabled parking place therefore the proposed parking place would be removed from the scheme. The Council were informed by the applicant at Albany Street that they intend to sell the property and therefore no longer require the proposed parking place. Two letters of objection were received to the proposed parking place at Kilburn Street. In summary the objectors stated that as the bay would extend across their frontage and this would make their property unsaleable. The bay was not required as the applicant’s car was always parked outside their own house.

 

In light of the objections and in particular the concerns over the proximity of the bay to the junction and the difficulty in positioning a sign and pole, the removal from the scheme and for an alternative location to be found was supported by Officers.

 

Options considered:

Option 1: Do not introduce the disabled persons parking places on Harper Street, South Hill Street, Albany Street, and John Knott Street but introduce the proposed disabled persons parking place on Kilburn Street.

Option 2: Do not introduce the disabled persons parking places on Harper Street, South Hill Street, Albany Street, Kilburn Street and John Knott Street.

 

RESOLVED that, as per the recommendation, the disabled persons parking places on Harper Street, South Hill Street, Albany Street, and John Knott Street not be introduced but the proposed disabled persons parking place on Kilburn Street be introduced.

 

9.

Grange Avenue, Werneth – Objection to Traffic Regulation Order pdf icon PDF 1 MB

The purpose of this report is to consider six objections to a proposal for prohibition of waiting restrictions to be introduced along Grange Avenue, Werneth.

Minutes:

The Panel gave consideration to a report regarding objections received to the introduction of prohibitive waiting restrictions at 9 Grange Avenue, Werneth.

 

The proposal was promoted to address issues with obstructive parking along Grange Avenue. Numerous complaints were received from local residents, pedestrians and hauliers regarding parking along the route. Vehicles were regularly left parked obstructing the footway and also contrary to the Highway Code, causing an obstruction to junction visibility splays.

 

The proposal had been approved under delegated powers on 5th March 2020 and subsequently advertised. Six letters of objections and one letter of support were received. A letter drop to properties along Grange Avenue was carried out in 2020 which highlighted the problems being caused by inconsiderate and obstructive parking. Despite this letter, inconsiderate and obstructive parking continued and was considered a road safety issue.

 

Officers had previously investigated a scheme to introduce double yellow lines along the full length of the route on the north eastern side, however this failed to gain the support of Ward Members who were concerned about the loss of parking. This proposal would therefore primarily address the issue of obstructive parking at junctions.

 

Options considered:

Option 1 – Introduce the proposed restrictions as advertised.

Option 2 – Do not introduce the proposed restrictions.

 

RESOLVED that, notwithstanding the objections received, the proposed restrictions be introduced as set out in the report.

 

10.

Ladhill Lane and Oak View Road (Ladhill Bridge), Greenfield – Objections to Traffic Regulation Order pdf icon PDF 795 KB

The purpose of this report is to consider two objections to a proposal for prohibition of waiting restrictions to be introduced at Ladhill Bridge, Greenfield.

Minutes:

The Panel gave consideration to a report regarding objections received to the introduction of prohibitive waiting restrictions at Ladhill Lane and Oak View Road (Ladhill Bridge), Greenfield.

 

The proposal was promoted to address issues with obstructive parking at Ladhill Bridge. The nearby Cricket Club had no dedicated car park for visitors. This results in an increase in parking activity on the roads nearby when matches were played, including in the vicinity of the bridge. The areas of concern were at each side of the bridge. Due to the physical width restriction at the bridge, which was formed with raised kerbs, motorists required space to align their vehicles with the bridge and the kerbs in order to negotiate it correctly. When vehicles were parked close to the bridge this either restricted that  movement and forces motorists to mount the kerbs, or on occasions lead to the bridge becoming impassable especially for wider vehicles.

 

The proposal had been approved under delegated powers on 5th October 2021 and subsequently advertised. Two letters of objections had been received. The basis of the objections was that the proposal would make the parking situation worse for them. Residents would prefer the bridge to be closed to vehicular traffic and would only support the proposal if a residents parking scheme was introduced. One resident also stated that they would not support the scheme unless it was extended further along Oak View Road to address other obstructive parking issues.

 

It would not be possible to introduce a residents parking scheme in this

area. Such schemes were reserved for areas which suffered from extraneous parking over a much wider area. The lengths of restriction cannot be extended under this scheme now that the legal and democratic process has started. Any restrictions recommended on Oak View Road would have to be promoted under a separate scheme. Proposals to close the bridge to vehicular traffic had been met with significant resistance in the past and there were currently no plans to revisit this issue. Therefore, as the bridge currently remained open to vehicular traffic, officers felt that the restrictions were necessary.

 

Options considered:

Option 1 – Introduce the proposed restrictions as advertised.

Option 2 – Do not introduce the proposed restrictions.

 

RESOLVED that, notwithstanding the objections received, the proposed restrictions be introduced as set out in the report.

 

11.

S257 Town and Country planning Act 1990 – Diversion of Definitive Footpath 119 Saddleworth, Treetops Close, Dobcross, and S53A Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 Modification of the Definitive Map & Statement pdf icon PDF 603 KB

To seek approval to the making of a Public Path Diversion and Definitive Map and Statement Modification Order for Footpath 119 Saddleworth, Treetops Close, Dobcross as detailed in the report.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Panel gave consideration to a report which sought approval to the making of a Public Path Diversion and Definitive Map and Statement Modification Order for Footpath 119 Saddleworth, Treetops Close, Dobcross.

 

The Council had received an application from a resident of Treetops Close, Dobcross for the diversion of part of Footpath 119 Saddleworth. The footpath was situated adjacent to the rear gardens on the west side of Treetops Close, Dobcross. The applicant had planning consent FUL/348134/21 (approved 12/04/2022) for the change of use of the landscaped area to the west of these properties to garden. The proposed diversion would skirt the proposed gardens, follow part of an existing footpath which forms part of the access to Holy Trinity C of E Primary School and terminate on Woods Lane. The footpath cannot be diverted unless the Council approved the proposal and the respective order was confirmed unopposed or confirmed by the Secretary of State.

 

The proposal was required to enable residents of Treetops Close to incorporate an area of Council owned land into their rear gardens. The footpath was situated adjacent to the rear gardens on the west side of Treetops Close, Dobcross.

 

Options considered:

Option 1 – To approve the recommendation.

Option 2 – Not to approve the recommendation.

 

RESOLVED that, as per the recommendation, the Public Path Diversion and Definitive Map and Statement Modification Order for Footpath 119 Saddleworth be approved under section 257 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 and section 53A of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and officers be authorised to carry out the necessary procedures with a view to confirming the Order in the event that no objections are made to the Order.